Pagan Grand Slam Helps Propel Cubs to 10-7 Victory

SOUTH BEND, IN - The saying goes, let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. But for South Bend Cubs games these days we should just start with Moises Ballesteros.

Tonight the 19-year-old catcher picked up three hits for the second night in a row, beginning his effort with a double in the second and the third inning, and capping it with an RBI single in the seventh. When the powerful lefty hitting catcher doubled off Williander Moreno in the third it marked the sixth straight plate appearance in which the young prospect had reached base (the stretch included a homer, two doubles, two singles, and a walk).

Ballesteros' double in the second was the first of four consecutive hits with one out in the inning. Felix Stevens singled into left to move Ballesteros up 90 feet and a Christian Franklin single put South Bend on the board first. Jacob Wetzel tallied a single next to load the bases. With two outs the Cubs would be left kicking themselves if they didn't put up a crooked number after Fabian Pertuz hit an infield pop out. Well, Ezequiel Pagan picked up his man and belted a grand slam just over the yellow line adorned to the top of the right field wall.

In the third inning South Bend added another run to make it 6-0. With two outs and the bases empty Ballesteros cranked another double to the wall in left center and Stevens followed with his second hit of the night, a run-scoring double of his own.

Things would get interesting in the fourth as the visitors began their comeback. The Whitecaps sent eight to the plate in the fourth after Michael Arias had faced one over the minimum in his first three innings and punched out six. Pertuz lost control of a grounder on the transfer and the inning began with the Cubs first error of the night. A single from Jace Jung advanced Roberto Campos to second and with one out Arias hit Brady Allen with a two-strike fastball to load the bases. A walk to Josh Crouch got the Whitecaps on the board and a two-run double from Dillon Paulson followed to chase the Cubs starter.

Jarod Wright came on and got the next two batters to end the threat.

South Bend scored next on a two-out RBI double from Luis Verdugo in the bottom of the inning.

West Michigan put up their second three-spot of the night in the sixth to pull within a run. With one out Wright gave up a double to Luis Santana and then a walk to Dom Johnson on four pitches. That set the table for the top of the order and Izaac Pacheco made the Cubs pay with a three-run blast to right.

Franklin smacked his first ever homer at Four Winds Field in the bottom of the frame as South Bend once again responded to the Whitecaps scoring. Franklin picked up two hits, two RBIs, and made an incredible diving catch in left field.

With South Bend now up 8-6 in a see-saw affair, the Whitecaps last run was scored on a solo-shot to the opposite field from Brady Allen in the seventh.

The Cubs never took their foot off the gas and scored a run on a Ballesteros single in the seventh and another on a James Triantos single in the eighth.

South Bend lost two fly balls in the twilight sky in the eighth but a line drive to Verdugo turned into a huge 5-4 double play.

On Sunday at 2:05 ET the Cubs will go for their first home series victory of the season.